Assistive tech for upper body disabilities
Joined Abilitare at an early stage, leading full-stack prototyping of assistive devices from concept to test-ready product. Designed embedded firmware, built sensor fusion algorithms, and helped launch accessible tech for users with upper-body disabilities.
Tampa, Florida, USA
2021
Assistive Wearable Tech
<10
At Abilitare, I was part of the founding engineering team at a very early stage. The work spanned across hardware design, firmware development, and product-level decision-making, with a clear goal: to build accessible tools for individuals with severe upper-body disabilities.
I worked on the hardware, firmware and low latency algorithms for the Headmouse—a motion-controlled pointing device mounted on a headset. It interprets head movements to control the on-screen cursor, making standard computing interfaces accessible to people who cannot use their hands.
Technically, I worked with Arduino Nano-based microcontrollers and explored multiple IMUs, battery solutions, and Bluetooth modules to arrive at the most responsive, low-power design. I implemented low-latency stabilization, bias correction, and tilt estimation algorithms to make head movements smooth and predictable. The tilt correction involved estimating the gravity vector using sensor fusion (accelerometer + gyroscope) to dynamically understand the user’s head orientation and translate it into accurate screen movements.
One of the key challenges was making the device behave like a native USB Human Interface Device (HID)—something I solved by building a BLE HID-compliant protocol stack that required deep understanding of both Bluetooth and USB input specifications.
I also worked on the AbiliButton, a secondary assistive device that acts as a customizable click switch for users who can only trigger binary actions (e.g., with a chin or shoulder tap). The design had to be both ergonomic and low-latency, with adaptive firmware for responsiveness across different users.
Beyond technical work, I also engaged directly with end-users and clinicians, conducting trials and gathering feedback to improve both form factor and usability. These insights drove meaningful improvements in feature design and robustness.